“Concentration is good, tricky” in 21-pitch battle with KT’s Ko Young-pyo in Game 3 of PO
Kwon Hee-dong ‘good’
Game 1 of the 2023 KBO League Postseason Playoffs between the NC Dinos and the KT Wiz at Katie Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday afternoon. NC’s Kwon Hee-dong hits a two-run triple with runners on first and second in the fourth inning.
NC Dinos outfielder Kwon Hee-dong is a tricky hitter that pitchers don’t want to face.
In 96 regular-season games this year, Kwon batted .285 with a .793 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) while facing 1,641 pitches in 373 at-bats.
His 4.40 pitches per at-bat is the highest among NC hitters and the highest among all KBO players with at least 300 at-bats this season.
Pitchers facing Kwon are bound to be more physically demanding than those facing other hitters.
Even if Kwon doesn’t get a hit, it’s still good for the next batter’s chances of getting on base.
Kwon Hee-dong’s persistence was evident in the third game of the playoffs (PO-5 best-of-3) against KT WIZ on April 2.
NC, in a general batting slump, failed to put a single runner in scoring position on the day, falling to 0-3.
For KT, the key to the victory was a dominant performance by starter Ko Young-pyo, who pitched six innings of three-hit ball with two walks and five strikeouts.
However, it was Kwon Hee-dong who gave him the most trouble.
He threw 105 pitches on the day, but Kwon Hee-dong alone stole 21 of them.
In the bottom of the second inning, after four foul balls in a full count (three balls and two strikes), Kwon Hee-dong picked off a ball that flew by on the 10th pitch.
It was NC’s first hit against Ko Young-pyo. However, there was no follow-up hit.
In his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth inning, he flied out to center field, but he forced Ko to throw 11 pitches.
Kwon Hee-dong played a big role in the fact that the in-form Ko was unable to play a longer innings, reaching 100 pitches in six innings.
After the game, Ko Young-pyo, who was named the Daily Most Valuable Player (MVP), said, “(Kwon Hee-dong’s) concentration was good and she was in good shape, so it was tricky.” “I tried not to give up any runs, but the last ball was ruled a ball,” he said.
From the wild-card game to the second round of the playoffs, NC won six games in a row with precise contact from the top of the order and surprise long balls from the bottom of the order.
If Kwon Hee-dong, the No. 5 hitter who bridges the gap between the top and bottom of the order, can continue to harass opposing pitchers and get on base, the NC bats could rebound. 카지노사이트존